I was diving with a new BCD recently and mid dive started to hear air escaping behind my head and had a sinking feeling (The corrugated hose had come loose and was dumping my wing). I ended up on the bottom (I know bad diver touching the bottom) wearing a drysuit with all my weight in the BCD. I took the BCD off put my legs through the straps to keep from running away and fixed the leak. 2 minuets of monkeying around and I finished the dive like nothing happened. Remove and replace is just as much a confidence builder as an excersise that you think you’ll never need until you do(and then don’t even think twice about doing)
Question about bcd remove underwater
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73diver
Contributor
Thankfully never had an entanglement that required gear removal.
I had to demonstrate removing tank/BCD on surface (OW) for PADI AOW class.
For a NAUI AOW class I had to demonstrate removing tank/BCD and push it through a restriction (actual wreck) and put the gear back on wearing a 7mm wetsuit. It was challenging be doable. For certain boats dives, I have found it easier to put gear on in the water. Also, getting out of the water into a small boat with no ladder was easier by getting out of tank/BCD on the surface. For IANTD class, I had to demonstrate remove and replace gear wearing a DS, in a pool. The trick was maintaining contact with the tank/BCD and it’s integrated weight. The instructor demonstrated the skill and the ‘tricks’ for proper execution. For ERDI I had to demonstrate ditching all gear on bottom of the pool, going to the surface for air and returning and putting all gear back on. That was while wearing a bathing suit. These skills are probably intended to develop personal confidence and familiarity with gear.
I had to demonstrate removing tank/BCD on surface (OW) for PADI AOW class.
For a NAUI AOW class I had to demonstrate removing tank/BCD and push it through a restriction (actual wreck) and put the gear back on wearing a 7mm wetsuit. It was challenging be doable. For certain boats dives, I have found it easier to put gear on in the water. Also, getting out of the water into a small boat with no ladder was easier by getting out of tank/BCD on the surface. For IANTD class, I had to demonstrate remove and replace gear wearing a DS, in a pool. The trick was maintaining contact with the tank/BCD and it’s integrated weight. The instructor demonstrated the skill and the ‘tricks’ for proper execution. For ERDI I had to demonstrate ditching all gear on bottom of the pool, going to the surface for air and returning and putting all gear back on. That was while wearing a bathing suit. These skills are probably intended to develop personal confidence and familiarity with gear.
60plus
Contributor
My instructor said he felt the main point of this was getting the gear of to deal with entanglement, especially fishing net / line. Even if you can't get it back on or back on fully positioned with all straps fastened (in a real situation) you can at least cut away the entanglement and surface safely holding the BCD to your chest. Also many divers are quite (to put it politely) are rotund and not as strong or fit as they should be. They leave the small dive boat, 8 person RIB or slightly larger aluminium boat for example in calmish conditions. In 40 minutes or so they return and quite a swell has blown up and the boat is bouncing about. The easiest way in is to pass up the weight belt, then the BCD, then the fins. Trying to climb the ladder in full kit is impossible or nearly so for some. Several years ago (before I started diving myself) I was on a 12 Seat RIB and the weather was rough on the surface (calm at 12 to 13 m) when the dive started. The weather worsened rapidly and the divers could hardly approach the bouncing boat. We got them back in one at a time by throwing them a rope, First they tied their BCD and weights to the rope and we hauled those in, then we threw the rope back for the diver.
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For this revived thread, I may have forgotten to say something way back. An important part of putting the unit back on underwater is--Once you get your right arm back in the BC, use your right hand to very forcefully whip the tank behind your back to get it in position to get the left arm in the BC. Don't let the unit drift around back there--do it quickly and forcefully. Once I got the hang of that part, it became quite a bit easier for me.
I'll chime in on this thread as it has been revived and addresses a conversation I had with an IT about this.
From a personal point of view, I think that for solo (self-reliant/independent/self-sufficient/whatever you want to call diving without a buddy) course, I feel that it is important to address entanglements. For some agencies, adding things isn't allowed (PADI, SSI, and possibly others). Some agencies (NAUI for example), allows instructors to add to the curriculum.
My understanding is that many don't want to touch doing this in the open water for liability reasons. If that is the case, I fail to see the point of having students do this in confined water. I teach in the Puget Sound, so I think that for a solo course, this is a fairly good exercise. It is a bit more difficult doing it here in a dry suit and warm undergarments (I'm a wimp when it comes to cold temperatures) than say Guam or similar. If you are in backmounted single or doubles, then you definitely need to have a weight belt on with enough weight so that you don't cork to the surface. @Trace Malinowski posted a video of him doing this in doubles here: . You can see the twinset are aluminum cylinders. I think he's in a dry suit, but I can't really tell (Trace? Care to chime in?).
It is something I do want to work on for my on proficiency, even though I'm moving towards sidemount where you don't have so much difficulty in dealing with an entanglement around your valves as compared to having cylinder(s) on your back.
From a personal point of view, I think that for solo (self-reliant/independent/self-sufficient/whatever you want to call diving without a buddy) course, I feel that it is important to address entanglements. For some agencies, adding things isn't allowed (PADI, SSI, and possibly others). Some agencies (NAUI for example), allows instructors to add to the curriculum.
My understanding is that many don't want to touch doing this in the open water for liability reasons. If that is the case, I fail to see the point of having students do this in confined water. I teach in the Puget Sound, so I think that for a solo course, this is a fairly good exercise. It is a bit more difficult doing it here in a dry suit and warm undergarments (I'm a wimp when it comes to cold temperatures) than say Guam or similar. If you are in backmounted single or doubles, then you definitely need to have a weight belt on with enough weight so that you don't cork to the surface. @Trace Malinowski posted a video of him doing this in doubles here: . You can see the twinset are aluminum cylinders. I think he's in a dry suit, but I can't really tell (Trace? Care to chime in?).
It is something I do want to work on for my on proficiency, even though I'm moving towards sidemount where you don't have so much difficulty in dealing with an entanglement around your valves as compared to having cylinder(s) on your back.
AJ
Contributor
I really admire the skil level of this guy. In reality however I don't see myself doing this in a real entanglement situation. I dive dry only with thick gloves and steel twins. No way I can even do the most simple task as buckle up again under water. Furthermore, I don't have the skill level so this would be more likely kill me than save me 
That skill comes from training and practise.I really admire the skil level of this guy. In reality however I don't see myself doing this in a real entanglement situation. I dive dry only with thick gloves and steel twins. No way I can even do the most simple task as buckle up again under water. Furthermore, I don't have the skill level so this would be more likely kill me than save me
PADI certainly allows adding material, you just can't require the added material be "passed" for certification.
You are then assume full liability. So yes, you can do whatever you want, but at your own risk. I went down this path with PADI where even cornering a training rep at DEMA I could not get a straight answer. My "that's a great question and I'll bring it up in tomorrow's training staff meeting" went unanswered, as did repeated emails and voicemails. Not even a face to face conversation could I get an answer to my question "if a student has one his AOW with me and I credit him for deep dive 1, what can I do in a 4th dive since he has paid for a 4 dive course." The answers of "you can go on a fun dive" and "you can start his rescue class" where probably the worst BS answers I've received. Just tell me that PADI doesn't allow for instructors to get their backing for anything outside anything specified for a course.
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